Self-sharpening safety razor



ch 22, 1938. c. A. MULLER SELF SHARPENING SAFETY RAZOR Filed Jan. 30, 1937 MTN E55 ES mr n mw m E 0 m S..

Patented Mar. .'22,` 1938 UNiTEo srArs Y nach 7 Claims.

This invention relates to safety lrazors, and particularly to an improved safety razor which is selfesharpened, the object being to provide a construction which will readily function either as a safety razor or as a sharpening or honing device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety razor wherein the guarding fingers are associated with a honing surface so that when in one position the honing surface acts as a support for the guard and when mo-ved will act to sharpen a blade Carried by the razor.

An additional object, more specifically, is to provide inl a safety razor a honing construction which will hone both sides of the edge of the blade and will allow the blade to move off the honing surface without injury to the extreme edge.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a front View of a self-sharpening safety razor disclosing an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through Fig. faproximately on the line 2--2;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing most of th-e handle in elevation and showing the honing surface moved for half a revolution;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to the upper part of Fig. 3 butshowing the parts ready to cause the honing surface to operate on the opposite side of the blade to that illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the` honing surface completing its first honing stroke;

Fig, 6 is a sectional View showing the blade and associated parts in condition for cleaning;

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of the honing surface together with part of a blade being sharpened.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View showing the rotating parts locked in shaving position.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numeralarl indicates a hollow handle which is soldered, welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the head 2. A blade holder 3 is carried by the pintle or pivotal pin 4 which is journaled in the side walls of head 2 and may swing freely from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6. When the razor is arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it is ready for shaving and may be used in the ordinary manner of a safety razor. Any time it is desired to sharpen the blade 5, the knob 6 of handle 1 is grasped and rotated as indicated by the arrow 8. This will cause abrading or honing surface 9 to act on one side of the edge portion of blade 5 for sharpening the same. After one or more revolutions in the direction of arrow il the abrading surface is reversed in its movement as indicated in Fig. 4, so that it will rotate as indicated by the arrow ii). One or more revolutions of the abrading surface will produce the desired sharpening action on the opposite side of the blade to that illustrated in Fig. 3, Usually one or two turns in both directions are suicient to put the blade in` condition for use and after the sharpening action has taken place the parts are moved to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the razor then may be readily used.

From Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that there is provided a comparatively stiff bar il which is soldered, welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the blade holder 3 and which is provided with an extension l 2 pressed by the upper end of spring i3. lFrom Fig. 2 it will be observed that spring i3 is offset at it and is bent at it so that it will frictionally engage the walls of the handle i and will resist movement from the position shown in Fig. 2. In fact, the parts are so proportioned that there will be a slight pressure by the spring i3 against the extension i2 so that the blade 5 will bear with some little pressure against the guard l?, The guard Il is preferably integral with an arc-shaped base SB on which the honing material il is mounted. Base i8 is integral with or rigidly secured to the end plates or disks it which are pivotally mounted on the respective walls 2Q of head 2 by suitable pivotal pins or rivets 2i and 22. The pivotal pin 2l is provided with a squared extension as shown in Fig. 8 so as to iit into a squared hole in the crank or arm l. A flat spring 23 is also carried by the pin 2i and acts on the knob il to give the same a tendency to move inwardly so that the projection 2t may snap into the aperture 25 in the wall 23. When the arm or crank l is being rotated the knob i is pulled outwardly and then the crank may be rotated in either direction. This arrangement, as shown in Fig. 8, locks the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so that they will remain in this shaving position unless positively removed therefrom.

From Fig. 7 it will be noted that the base 3 and also the surface 9 are formed with shoulders fiS' and 2l for supporting the blade 5 as the edge portion 28 leaves the surface 9. In this way the edge portion 28 is not injured as it leaves the .abrading surface and consequently maintains its sharp edge. When the abrading surface is moved in a reverse direction the end portions of the blade 5 ride over the abutments 29 and SEI to protect the edge 28. The abutments 29 and 30 also act to limit a reverse movement of the base 3, guard .l1 and associated parts when moving to a shaving position.

When it is desired to clean the razor the parts are moved to the position shown in Fig. 5 and all parts may be readily rinsed or cleaned in any desired manner. Preferably all the parts are made from metal and the blade 5 is adapted to be slid into position and removed in like manner. However, it will be noted that when a blade is once inserted it may be maintained sharp by reason of the self-sharpening feature of the device, However, in case the blade should become worn down or otherwise objectionable, it may beV readily removed and a new one substituted. In regard to the spring I3, it is to be noted that the same is rectangular in cross section and is held in place by friction.

I claim:

l. In a self-sharpening safety razor, a handle, a head carried by said handle, a blade carrying holder pivotally carried by said head, spring means for giving said holder a tendency to swing in one direction, a gua-rd for the blade carried by said holder, an arc-shaped member extending from said guard, an abrasive member mounted on said arc-shaped member, and hand actuated means for rotating said guard and the arcshaped member for causing said blad-e carried by said holder to be swung to one position when. rotated in one direction and to be swung to a second position when rotated in the opposite direction for bringing said abrasive member to bear en opposite sides of said blade to sharpen said blade.

2. In a self-sharpening safety razor, a handle, a head carried by said handle, a blade pivotally carried by said head, a guard coacting with said blade, an arc-shaped abrasive structure positioned to grind the edge portion of said blade on one side when rotated in one direction and grind the opposite side when rotated in the opposite direction, means for rotating said abrasive structure in both directions, spring means for swinging said blade so as to be caught by one edge of said arc-shaped abrasive structure as it is rotated in one direction so as to be swung thereby to a given position whereby the abrasive structure may grind one surface of the blade and then svmng to a second position so that said abrasive structure will grind the opposite surface of said blade, and means for locking said abrasive structure against rotation when said blade is in shaving position.

3. In a self-sharpening safety razor, a head, handle for supporting the head, a blade pivotally mounted on said head about one edge of the blade so the opposite edge may freely swing, a semi-tubular base rotatably mounted on said head, said base being mounted so that when rotated in one direction one edge thereof will engage and swing said blade in one direction and when rotated in the opposite direction will swing said blade in the opposite direction, an abrasive structure carried by said base positioned to act on the edge portion of said blade as the base is rotated for sharpening the blade, and hand operated means for rotating said base.

4. In a self-sharpening razor, a handle, a head carried by said handle, a blade pivotally mounted on said head, a spring tending to hold said blade in a given position, a semi-tubular base rotatably mounted on said head and positioned to engage and swing said blade against the action of said spring in either of two directions, means for rotating said base in either of two directions, and an abrasive structure carried by said base and acting on the respective sides of one edge portion of said blade as said base is rotated in` one direction and then in the other direction for sharpening said blade.

5. In a self-sharpening safety razor, a handle, a head carried by said handle, a rotatable semitubular base carried by said head, an abrasive mounted on the exterior surface of said base, hand actuated means for rotating said base in either of two directions, a blade pivotally carried by said head and positioned so that its sharpened edge will normally rest on said base, said base being adapted to hold the blade in a given position while the base is rotating in one direction, said base also functioning to move said blade to a. second position when said base is rotated in the opposite direction whereby said abrasive is adapted to act on the opposite sides of said sharpened edge for further sharpening the same, a pair of means carried by said base for preventing the sharpened edge of said blade being injured as it leaves said abrasive, one of said means acting as an abutment for stopping the rotation of said base when the parts are in shaving position, and means for locking said base against rotation.

6. A self-sharpening safety razor comprising a handle, a head carried by said handle, a blade holder pivotally mounted on said head at the upper part, an arc-shaped base positioned at the lower part of said head and formed with journal members extending through part of said head for rotatably supporting the base, said base on the exterior being provided with an abrading surface, a spring carried by said head acting on said holder to cause the blade carried by the holder to swing in one direction, and means for rotating said base for causing said blade carried by said holder to be swung to one position when the base is rotated in one direction and to be swung to a second position when rotated in the opposite direction for bringing said abrading surface to bear on opposite sides of said blade to sharpen the blade.

7. In a self-sharpening safety razor, a, handle, a head carried by said handle, a partly tubular member mounted on said head formed with f an abrasive surface, said partly tubular member being positioned at the lower front part of said head, a guard carried by said partly tubular member at one edge, means for rotating said partly tubular member, a blade carrying holder pivotally mounted on the upper rear part of said head so that the edge of a blade carried thereby may rest on said partly tubular member, spring means for normally swinging said blade holder so that one edge portion of the blade carried thereby has a continuous tendency to swing toward the longitudinal center of said partly tubular member whereby when said partly tubular member is in one position said edge will rest therein and when in a second position said edge will project into said partly tubular member, said partly tubular member when rotated in one direction acting to swing said blade so that one side of said edge portion will be sharpened and when rotated in the opposite direction will swing said blade in an opposite direction for causing the opposite side of said edge portion to be sharpened.

CHARLES A. MULLER. 

